1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for cleaning electrical contacts on a packaged integrated circuit module in order to prevent interference with performance and to prevent system failures. More specifically, the method includes providing a mechanical cleaning device having a spring-loaded pressure adjustment screw and a replaceable and movable cleaning strip for cleaning components such as a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) or other near chip scale or chip scale packages, that have enhanced reliability for high speed memory applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an integrated circuit (IC) chip manufacturing environment, there are commodities or parts which may be assembled on a cleanroom floor. Some of these commodities, for example, tabbed DIMMs and other parts having a gold tab interfaces, collect dirt and debris on a contact surface which subsequently interferes with performance of the part. This interference may result in poor performance and system failures. Examples of malfunctions on tabbed DIMMs are reseat issues, initial memory load (IML) customer engineer (CE) errors and other functional problems.
Analysis of troubleshooting results from these manufacturing parts shows significant amounts of contaminants on the contact surfaces, which implies that the part may have not undergone a cleaning process. One method of cleaning DIMMs is using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with wipes or cloths, or employing solvents via swab-type methods, or employing hand-held cleaning, polishing or burnishing tools. However, these methods may be impractical in a manufacturing environment because they are awkward and the process may not easily be accomplished. In addition, alcohol-based solutions can detrimentally affect the life of the more sensitive, internal working components of these parts. For example, repeated cleaning with an alcohol-based solution can adversely affect the male contact surfaces. Moreover, bulk shipping of alcohol-based solutions can often be difficult and may require special permits and/or less than efficient shipping methods due to certain countries classifying alcohol-based solutions as hazardous or unsafe substances.